Acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory condition that happens as a sudden onset resulting from the premature activation of proteolytic zymogens occurring within the exocrine pancreas. The abnormally activated zymogens escape into the interstitium of the pancreas and cause autodigestion of the gland as reported in Grady T, Mah'Moud M, Otani T, Rhee S, Lerch M M, Gorelick F S. Zymogen proteolysis within the pancreatic acinar cell is associated with cellular injury. Am J Physiol. 1998; 275:G1010-7. The majority of cases of acute pancreatitis are caused by heavy alcohol consumption and gallstones. Genetics can be a factor in some cases as reported in Whitcomb D C, Gorry M C, Preston R A, Furey W, Sossenheimer M J, Ulrich C D, et al. Hereditary pancreatitis is caused by a mutation in the cationic trypsinogen gene. Nat Genet. 1996; 14:141-5; however, the cause can sometimes be idiopathic. Although acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory process originated in the pancreas, it often leads to multi-organ dysfunction syndrome that affects distant organs. The severe form of acute pancreatitis accompanies a high mortality rate of 15-20%, and hence continues to be an intricate problem in clinical management as reported in Charbonney, E., Nathens, A. B. 2008. Severe acute pancreatitis: a review. Surg Infect (Larchmt) 9, 573-578. The development of pulmonary injury or acute respiratory distress syndrome is the most frequent complication and potentially severe case amongst the systemic complications of acute pancreatitis. Acute lung injury is indeed the predominant cause of death in patients with severe acute pancreatitis as reported in McFadden, D. W. 1991. Organ failure and multiple organ system failure in pancreatitis. Pancreas 6 Suppl 1, S37-43. Unfortunately, there is no effective therapeutic procedure so that the mortality rate of severe acute pancreatitis stays relatively high.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a method of using dihydro-resveratrol for treating acute pancreatitis in a subject.
Citation or identification of any reference in this section or any other section of this application shall not be construed as an admission that such reference is available as prior art for the present application.